A Mother's Intuition
by lil'mousie323
Summary: The world is a beautiful place, and Henry and Elizabeth are about to embark on the most exciting journey of their lives.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Whether you're a fur mama or a human mama, or a mother figure to someone, I hope you had an amazing day!

Adi had requested this story line, and I do hope I have done it justice! As always reviews keep the writing flowing, so let me know if you're liking the story and I'll give you more! Happy Reading!

A Mothers Intuition

 _1992_

Henry was finally back home and settled after his deployment for Desert Storm. They had spent the past six months reconnecting and learning how to be a married couple. He had been deployed shortly after they wed. Elizabeth was more than happy to have the love of her life back safe and sound.

They lay in bed snuggling up against each other, enjoying the relaxing Saturday morning. They had no commitments for the day and could stay in bed as they were for as long as they had liked; making up for missed time.

Soon the snuggling became passionate love making, they couldn't get close enough to each other. The tenderness of their movements conveyed how much they had missed each other and how much they needed each other. Afterwards they lay together, Elizabeth with her head laying on Henrys chest and Henry with his arms around her drawing random designs on her arm.

"I love you so much, Henry. I am so glad that we can really start our life tougher now that you're home safe with me."

"I love you too, baby. I cannot wait to get our life together up and running. There's nothing else I want more in the world." He said as he pressed a kiss to her head.

"I cant believe we've been married now for two years, it just seems so unreal. I can't believe I'll be at my job for a year in a month. Life is so wonderful right now, but I think we could make it even better in a year or two." she said with a smile dancing across her lips, waiting to see if Henry caught on to what she was hinting at.

His had stilled on her arm as the words filtered into his head. "Babe, are you saying that you want to talk about having babies soon?" He asked as a smile grew on his face.

She looked up from her spot on his chest to see the reaction on his face. He had an excited aura around him and if he could, his eyes would be shining like sun rays. She reached up to kiss him before answering. "Yes baby, I want to have a baby with you. I want to grow our little family and I think in a year or two would be good since we will both have a few years at our jobs under our belts. I just think the timing is good too so it gives us more time to get used toeing a married couple since we didn't have that chance our first year of being a married couple."

Henry had no words at the moment and bent down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, taking it deeper as the moment lingered. "You make me the happiest man on the planet with those words, Mrs. McCord. I cannot wait to have babies with you, and even though we are waiting another year or so there's no harm in perfecting our dance. You know what they say: Practice makes perfect!" as he flipped her over and positioned his body atop of hers lovingly trailing kisses down her phenomenal body that one day will carry their children.

November 1993

It was Thanksgiving and that meant Elizabeth and Henry would head to Pittsburgh to spend the weekend with his family, although she didn't see eye to eye with Patrick or Maureen, she enjoyed spending time with Erin and Henrys mom. His mom had always made her feel like a part of the family from the day she met her.

As they loaded up the car to get on the road, Elizabeth had a sudden wave of dizziness wash over her, it wasn't uncommon for her so she thought nothing of it. Henry caught sight of her grabbing the side of the car for balance, "Babe are you okay?" He asked his tone laced with concern.

"Yeah, just one of those weird dizzy spells I get sometimes. I'm fine, really." She reassured him noticing the look on his face. "I just need to drink some water and I should be good to go." She gave him a small smile to let him know she was really okay.

"Okay babe. I'll grab you some water and then we need to get on the road. You know mom is excited for us to get there." He said leaving her to run back into the house to grab a few bottles of water.

Henry parked the car at the front of his parents house. Looking over at his gorgeous passenger he hated to wake her up, but knew he needed to, she looked so peaceful with her head resting along the window.

Reaching over he gently shook her shoulder "Hey baby, we're here."

"Okay, thanks for waking me up babe. Sorry I fell asleep on you, I just got comfortable with the sun beating down on me." She apologized to him and shot him a smile.

"Not a problem babe, you've been working so much you needed the nap." He leaned over and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips.

"Henry! Elizabeth! It's so nice to see you kids!" Henrys mother, Jane, excitedly greeted them as they entered the kitchen.

"Hi mom!" Henry greeted her with a hug and a kiss to the cheek.

Elizabeth hugged his mom, and she placed a kiss on Elizabeths cheek.

"Dear, you look exhausted. Are you feeling okay?" Henry's mom worriedly asked Elizabeth.

"Yeah Jane, I'm okay. Just fell asleep on the drive here. I've been working some overtime and I guess its catching up to me." She reassured the elder Mrs. McCord.

She looked Elizabeth up and down for a minute, and was half satisfied with her answer.

"Kids make yourselves at home, I'm getting some dinner ready. I'll let you know when it's time to eat." She walked with them into the living room and then satisfied they were settling in went back into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

As they ate dinner that night Jane had noticed Elizabeth pushing her food around on her plate. Normally her daughter in law was a great eater, tonight though, something was off. Jane had a gut feeling she knew what it was but knew Elizabeth hadn't had a clue yet.

After cleaning up dinner, Elizabeth excused herself to the bedroom. She really was starting to wondering if she was catching what was going around at work or if the long hours she's been putting in were starting to take their toll. She made herself relax on the bed, a book in hand, but it didn't take long until her eyes were closed and she was off to slumber land.

"Henry, dear, are you sure Elizabeth is feeling well?" Jane asked her son, wanting to see what his take on the situation was.

Smiling at the concern his mother was showing for his wife, he turned to look at her and answer her question. "Yeah mom, she's fine, really. They have been working on something at work and its been very time consuming and she hasn't been getting much sleep, or healthy meals for that matter. Plus she said the other night that a stomach virus is going around." He reassured her, kissing her on the cheek as he headed upstairs to check on his wife.

Opening the door to his bedroom the sight that was before him was one of knowing, yet a flicker of concern crossed his mind too. Elizabeth was fast asleep on the bed, book draped across her chest as she had fallen asleep reading. Henry began to wonder if his mom was on to something else. Elizabeth was a little pale, but she also had this look to her that he couldn't place. He crawled into bed with her and snuggled up tight, embracing her in his strong arms.

Thanksgiving morning Henry awoke to the smell of the turkey roasting in the oven and cinnamon buns that had freshly been cooked for breakfast, a tradition in the McCord house since he could remember. Looking over at his sleeping beauty he decided to let her be, placing a kiss on her forehead and slipping out from under the covers as to not disturb her.

"Mmmm, it smells wonderful in here mom!" He exclaimed as he greeted her with a kiss to the cheek.

"Like old times, my dear! Cinnamon buns and coffee for breakfast!" She returned his peck on the cheek with a hug. "How is Elizabeth feeling this morning?"

"She's still sleeping and I really hated to wake her. She truly has been sleep deprived lately." He relayed falling in line, helping his mom with preparing for Thanksgiving dinner, that they would be eating later in the afternoon.

Noticing an hour had gone by, he decided to go check on Elizabeth. Noticing she was no longer in bed, he heard an all to familiar sound coming from the bathroom. "Babe, are you okay?" he asked while lightly tapping on the door.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just really nauseous but nothing is coming out." she replied exhaustion laced in her tone.

Opening the door she walked right into his arms, at least he could soothe her a little if nothing else could.

Downstair Jane overheard their conversation and her gut instinct was telling her they had so much more to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, even if her son and daughter in law had no idea. She'd been through this four times, and had known when Shane's wife had been pregnant before either of the two of them had known. There's nothing stronger than a mothers intuition in this situation. Her Henry and Elizabeth were about to start the best, most exciting journey of their lives together.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Thank you all for the favorites, follows, and comments! They truly make me smile! I am sorry it has taken me so long to get chapter 2 up, life with three boys in baseball has been extremely busy. I sure hope the wait was worth it! As always comments and reviews really make my day! Happy reading!**

Two weeks went by and Elizabeth still wasn't back to her normal self. She continued to blame it on work and all of the overtime she had been working. They were putting in long days and late nights to get intel on issues they were dealing with in the Middle East.

Henry was starting to worry about her. She would come home, fall asleep on the couch after work sometimes even sleeping through dinner. Then he would wake her up so that they could spend some time talking about anything and everything they could, and head to bed. Most nights ended with her snuggling into him and falling asleep almost immediately.

Saturday mornings were spend lounging in bed, waking up whenever they awoke without the aid of an alarm. The sun was shining through the window, casting a glow across their bed, Elizabeths hair fanned across her pillow almost glowing in the bright sun. Henry just stared at his gorgeous, sleeping wife. He was truly taken aback as to how he ended up having her for his wife. His hand gently caressed her arm as it poked out from under the comforter as he propped his head up with his other hand. He moved from her arm to her face, soft brushes of his fingers down her face, from her eyes to her chin. As she lay there sleeping it was almost as if she was truly glowing in the bright ray of the sun as it danced in the window.

Elizabeth felt Henrys fingers slowly dancing on her face, she slowly opened her eyes to find him staring at her, a smile on his face and eyes that displayed his love and joy for her.

"Good morning, baby." She said to him with a sleepy, yet bright smile that went to her piercing blue eyes.

"Good morning to you too, sleepy head." Replying back, a hint of humor in his voice, as he leaned over and placed a delicate kiss on her lips.

"Sorry I've been no fun lately, I don't know whats wrong with me and why I've been so tired. I guess work is just getting to me." Her voiced laced with a hint of sadness and a tinge of frustration at herself. Her hand taking his and entwining their fingers with a squeeze.

"It's okay babe, I just am worried about you. We should just take it easy this weekend and lounge around the house, if you want to." He pulled their hands to his lips and kissed her fingers.

"You don't have to be worried about me, Henry. I promise if the relaxing weekend doesn't help I''ll call the doctor this week." She leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

"I love you, babe. Therefore I worry about you, but thank you for easing my mind and saying you'll call the doctor." he responded as he leaned in and rolled her so that he was now laying atop of her, his lips peppering kisses to hers. Soon the kisses turned into much more and they found themselves naked and a tangled ball of limbs and sheets.

By Wednesday Elizabeth hadn't called the doctor yet, even thought she wasn't feeling much better. She was sitting at her desk lost in concentration when a headache became rather prevalent and bothersome. Isabelle had walked in asking if she wanted to break for lunch. Thinking her headache was from a lack of food, Elizabeth reluctantly agreed to take a much needed break.

"Bess, are you okay? You haven't been yourself lately." Isabelle asked, concern evident in her tone.

"Yeah, I think I'm just exhausted because of the long hours we've been putting in." She replied, giving her friend a small smile. "Henry made me promise to call the doctor if I didn't start feeling better this week."

"Thats smart of him. So have you called yet? Seeing as how its Wednesday and you've not been yourself since before Thanksgiving."

"No, I haven't called yet. I promise I'll call after we get back. Promise" she reassured her friend as they set off to a much needed lunch break.

Elizabeth still had her headache after eating a small bit of lunch, her stomach was becoming unsettled as well. Chalking it up to the headache she reached into her desk for some Advil, her hand brushing by a tampon as she reached for the medication. Something then dawned on her, shaking her head and pulling out her calendar she realized it had been quite awhile since she had gotten her period, in fact it had been at least two months. Slowly putting two and two together she held off on calling the doctor and decided to swing by the store on the way home to grab a few pregnancy tests. It wasn't uncommon for her to go a month or two without getting her period, but this time felt different.

Once she finally returned home later that night she found Henry "resting" his eyes lounging on the couch. She quietly snuck to their bedroom and locked herself in the bathroom, not wanting to wake him and get his hopes up incase it was nothing. Pulling out the tests she decided to only use one, and then the other two if needed.

Waiting for the first test to register, Elizabeth paced the floor of the bathroom, why did three minutes seem so long now when normally it was almost gone in the blink of an eye? When the time was up she cautiously looked at the display window on the test, a pink plus sign stared her back and a huge smile spread across her face. To be absolutely sure she had taken a second test, and when it revealed the same news she hurriedly ran downstairs to find Henry.

Henry had slowly woken to the sound of Elizabeth hurrying down the stairs, he hadn't even known she was home, man he must have been tired and fallen asleep waiting on her to get home from work.

"Hey babe!" he greeted her with a sleepy smile as he stood, reaching out to take her into a hug.

"Hi sleepyhead, have a nice nap?" she coyly asked as she pecked his lips.

"I did, sorry babe, I hadn't even realized I fell asleep. I have dinner all ready for us, that is if you're up for some food?" he cautiously asked knowing she wasn't eating too much lately.

"Actually babe," she paused trying to hide the excitement on her face.

"Oh did you have a chance to call the doctor today? How are you feeling today?" He interrupted her before she could get the news out.

"Well, I will be calling the doctor tomorrow, but not our family doctor. I will be calling my other doctor." she said matter of factly.

Henry paused for a moment, "Your other doctor? Why do you need to call…."

He paused mid sentence and just looked at her as the smile grew to reach her eyes.

"Does this mean? Babe what are you? Are we pregnant?!" He finally spit out.

Pulling the two tests from behind her back she confirmed his suspicions. "Yes babe, WE are pregnant!" tears of joy started to fall from her eyes.

Henry reached for his wife and took her into his arms, hugging her like he would never hug her agin, kissing her so fiercely and with so much love and excitement they both needed a minute to recover once they had broken apart.

"Elizabeth this is the best news I've ever heard come from your lips, besides obviously the yes when I asked you to marry me." He kissed her again, with much fervor, as tears of joy fell from his eyes as well.

Overrun with excitement and joy of the news they had learned of, they spent the night expressing their love for each other in the only way they knew how. A dance they danced so many times before somehow felt different tonight, it expressed deepest love and tenderness and pride as they had together made a tiny human with their unending love. They slept soundly that night, Elizabeth wrapped in Henrys protective arms as if he was keeping her and their child safe.

Elizabeth walked into the Ob/Gyn office as she had been instructed on the phone. They needed to have a positive sample done in the office and from there would schedule her very first appointment and ultrasound to see how far along she was.

The following week Henry had accompanied her to the office visit as they were going to go over the insurance paperwork, medical history and do a physical and ultrasound. The paperwork and medical histories had been the first part of the visit. They were both anxious to get to the fun part of the appointment.

"Hello Elizabeth" Dr. Greene said as she shook her hand and then reached to shake Henrys had as well. "I see that you're here for rather exciting reasons! Congratulations, and we will have a look to see just how far along you are." Dr. Green stated and then turned to Elizabeths chart.

"While I examine you, I will explain some things that will be happening over the next few months and weeks."

As her doctor did the internal examination she explained what all was going to happen and how they would monitor her and check the baby's growth. She had been placed in an exam room, therefore they had to switch rooms when it came time for the ultrasound.

The new experience of having an internal ultrasound was a bit strange, almost uncomfortable, but they were very excited to see the little blip on the screen. It looked like a little bug, a little white dot on a black screen, tears falling down Elizabeths cheeks as she watched the flutter on the screen. Dr. Greene explained to both of them the little spot that was fluttering was indeed a very healthy heartbeat.

"Elizabeth, Henry, the fluttering you are noticing on the screen means that you've got a very healthy heartbeat going on there. I know it doesn't look like much right now, but that little spot will continue to grow and become a beautiful little boy or girl. Judging by the steady beat and the size I'm going to put you at about 12.5 weeks along."

Henry kissed Elizabeths hand as he held it, both still had tears of joy blanketing their cheeks.

"Thank you, Dr. Greene" Elizabeth managed to reply, along with a joyful smile.

"When you check out we will set up your next few appointments and get your scripts for lab work that needs to be drawn." She looked back at her patient, smiling at the joy in both of their faces. "Congratulations to you both, and I will see you back in a month. If you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to call the office and my nurse will get the messages to me." She turned and left the room.

Henry took Elizabeth into an all encompassing hug, so incredibly happy with the news they had just been given. She hugged him back and leaned up for a kiss before getting dressed and checking out.

On the drive home they chatted about all they had learned at the appointment and when they would tell his family and Will.

"Babe, since we will be going to Pittsburgh for Christmas, I think we should wait to tell my family then. Maybe we could tell Will the day before we head home?" Henry suggested.

"Yeah babe, that sounds like a good plan. What better time to share our news than at Christmas when everyone is together." She replied, but there was a hint of sadness lingering in her voice, knowing his parents and family would know, but that she would never be able to share this news with her parents. She quietly wiped a stray tear from her eye, hoping Henry didn't notice as this was a tear of sadness and longing that her mother was here to share this time with her.

"Baby, it's okay to be sad. I know you miss them and are going to miss out on sharing this special time with your mom. I can absolutely affirm that my mom will be there for you since yours cannot be. She loves you like her own daughter, please let her help you." Henry reached over to squeeze her hand as he took it in his. Knowing this time in their lives was going to trigger sadness in Elizabeth, much like their wedding day had. He vowed to be there for her always and that was one vow he would not break.

"I know babe, thank you. It's just I miss them so much, they should be here to share this time with us and watch their grandchild grow. It's just not fair." She quietly replied, wiping another tear from her face.

Later that night as they lay in bed, Henry had his arm wrapped protectively around his gorgeous, glowing wife. His hand resting on her belly, the home of their precious little "bug" as they decided to nickname him or her. Both fell asleep with smiles on their faces, Elizabeth glowing with pregnancy hormones and Henry incredibly proud he could give his wife a child.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, favorites and follows! I am SO incredibly sorry it has taken me longer than I **would like to get this updated. Summer around here with three kids is just so hectic! Please forgive me. I do hope you're still reading and I hope you enjoy this short chapter. As always reviews make me smile and keep me writing! Enjoy!**

Christmas came rather quickly, and before they knew it they were going to be sharing their news with everyone. For Henry's parents they decided to put a copy of the first ultrasound picture in a little frame to see if they would get it. Elizabeth took care to wrap the frame perfectly, hoping it would bring joy to the McCords, much like it was to her and Henry. She was cautious as to how Pat and Maureen would take the news, Erin and Shane would be happy for them, Jane would be ecstatic.

"Hey babe, so I think I'm going to give Will a call and let him know he's going to be an Uncle." Elizabeth said to Henry as they were relaxing on the couch one Thursday evening.

"Sounds like a plan, sweetheart. How do you think he will react?" Henry asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she snuggled against him.

"You know, I'm not sure. I think he will be happy for us, but you know Will." She responded as she aimlessly drew patterns on his stomach, feeling the muscles underneath his shirt. "I can't believe we have created this sweet little person growing inside of me. I only wish my parents were around to share our joy." she sadly said, stilling her hand on his stomach.

"I know babe, I know." he sadly retorted as he rubbed her side and kissed the top of her head. "You know they would be so very proud of you, and are watching over you and the baby from above." He felt moisture on his shirt and realized she was silently crying, and he just held her close and held her tight, trying to console her as much as he possibly could.

She sat up and wiped the tears off her cheeks with her sleeves. "Sorry about that babe, these darn hormones." she said timidly.

Pulling her into a comforting embrace, he kissed her ever so sweetly, letting her know there was no reason to be ashamed at crying for missing her parents and being sad they wouldn't be here for this.

"Babe are you read to head to bed? You look exhausted." looking into her eyes, seeing exhausting and sadness radiating from them.

"I am, but I think I should call Will first. I want him to find out soon and since its morning where he is, now would be a good time to call."

Her phone call to Will went as she had expected it to. He was excited and happy for them in his own kind of way. She was relieved at how he reacted to her news, knowing he didn't really see the need to settle down and have a family, his parents death the cause for this way of thinking.

It was Christmas Eve day and Elizabeth was just finishing up at work, only working a half day and being off for a few days, she wanted to make sure things were taken care of for a few days. Finishing putting her things in the filing cabinet for secure keeping, she called over to Isabelle.

"How long are you staying today? I thought we both agreed to bust this joint at lunchtime, no?" She asked her office partner.

"Bess, I know you wanna get outta here, so just go ahead. I need to finish this one report real quick and then I am right behind ya." She smiled up at her, happy to be seeing the tiniest bump starting to show beneath her sweater. "Oh! Good luck with Henry's family and telling them your news! I'll be thinking of you."

"Thanks, I sure could use all the positive vibes we can get!" she replied with a hint of amusement, walking over and giving her friend a hug. "Don't stay too long, love ya."

"Love ya too, and don't worry, I'm outta here in the next half hour, tops. I promise!" she relayed, hugging Bess back.

Entering the house, Elizabeth hung up her purse and her coat on the hook right inside the door. As she turned around she was greeted with a fierce, languid kiss from the only lips and tongue she knew.

"Hi babe, are you all ready to get the news out there?" Henry asked as he pulled away for a moment, in need to air, his hands rubbing up and down her arms.

Pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts after the wonderful greeting she had just received, she looked into his eyes, "Yeah, babe. I guess I'm as ready as I will ever be. I just need to figure out what to wear since I look fat. I really hope there are no comments about my weight, that will just set me off." She released a perplexed sigh.

"Come on babe, you don't look fat. You're gorgeous and glowing, and you know Maureen is the only one who would say anything, just to be a jerk." He tried to reassure her with sweet talk and butterfly kisses.

"I know, you're right. I just can't stop thinking about how bad this could all go, and it's just making me nervous." She leaned into his embrace, clutching at his chest.

"Babe, it will be fine. I promise, and even if she is a jerk, you know mom will shut her down immediately. Same goes for dad, in fact I am sure mom has already had a nice long chat with him about how he treats you. Please, stop worrying, the stress isn't good for you or the baby." He hugged her tight and kissed her forehead.

"You know, there is one thing that would help me take my mind off all of this…" a coy tone to her voice, as she bit her bottom lip the way she knew drove him wild.

He groaned in pleasure, "Mmm, babe, you know there is nothing I would enjoy more right now than calming your nerves." His lips on hers, tongues dueling, hands reaching at clothing as he walked her backwards towards the couch.

"That is EXACTLY what I needed, captain. Thank you." She kissed him with thanks, as they both redressed.

"The pleasure was all mine, baby. I know it helped my nerves as well." He teased with a wink, as his nimble fingers buttoned up his shirt.

Both feeling much better about what was to come in the next day, they finished packing up the car and got on the road towards Pittsburgh.

 **TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm SO sorry for the delay in updating! With three boys in sports its a little hectic! We are on vacation this week, so hopefully I'll be able to write in the evenings as i enjoy listening to the crashing of the waves.**

 **Anyway THANK YOU ALL for the wonderful reviews! They really do keep the creative fires going! I hope you enjoy the chapter! As always feedback and reviews are a highlight to my day!**

"You're here!" Jane exclaimed as she made her way out the front door and down the front steps to Henry and Elizabeths car as they parked along the street.

"Hi mom!" Henry replied, hugging her fiercly, and placing a kiss on her cheek as Elizabeth exited the car, smiling at the interaction between her husband and mother in law.

"Elizabeth! I've missed you too, dear! Has work been easy on you? I know how exhausted you were at Thanksgiving, I sure hope things have gotten better for you!" Jane replied, taking her into an embrace as she kissed her cheek.

"Hi Jane, yes things have been slowing down some. I've actually been able to get some sleep lately!" Elizabeth laughed a little at her mother in law's inquiry.

As they went to grab their bags and packages out of the car Jane tried to usher Elizabeth into the house, leaving Henry to do all the "dirty" work and carrying of the bags into the house.

"I really should help Henry carry our things into the house. We will be in in a minute, promise!" Elizabeth tired pulling away from Jane.

"Nonsense dear, let the carrying of things to Henry. He is a tough Marine after all, I think he can handle it. Besides, you really should be careful, you know." A smile crept across her face as a confused look washed across her daughter in-laws face.

Whispering in her ear so no one else could hear: "I had my suspicions at Thanksgiving, but you are absolutely glowing my dear. You are gorgeous and glowing." Placing a kiss on her cheek, she left her to open the door for Henry as he was making his way up the stairs, arms full of bags.

Elizabeth stood there mouth agape wondering how in the world Jane knew. She knew Henry hadn't said anything because they were waiting to tell everyone until Christmas. She was going to have to ask her how she knew, of course away from the others.

"Hey babe, what are you doing up here?" Henry asked as he walked into his old bedroom finding Elizabeth sitting at the foot of the bed, her head in her hands.

"Hey, I just needed a little time to myself. Your mom basically came right out and said she knew and I'm just trying to figure out how." Elizabeth replied, with an expression of confusion on her face.

"Babe maybe its because she's been there four times and knows what all the signs and symptoms are." He reassured her, taking her hands away from her face and kissing those sweet lips he loves so much. "Come on, we gotta get downstairs before they all think we are doing other things up here." he joked with her, eliciting the smile he was looking for.

Christmas Eve was spent as a family with dinner and then midnight mass at church. It was a night full of hope and promises of the wonderful things to come. The celebration of the miracle birth of Jesus, and the growing baby in Elizabeths womb.

Christmas Day started out with Jane making cinnamon buns, and coffee. The wonderful aroma wafted through the entire McCord house reaching the nostrils of every one inside. Henry and Elizabeth had been the first ones down the stairs and into the kitchen to help get things set, along with placing their presents for the rest of the family under the tree. It was always a tradition of sitting around Christmas morning opening presents and eating the cinnamon buns and drinking coffee while watching the gifts being opened.

As everyone sleepily made their way to the living room and placed themselves on couches, chairs and the floor around the tree, Jane watched from the entryway so proud of her family and the things to come. She pictured a little child cuddled on Elizabeths lap, knowing what next year would look like.

"Mom! Earth to mom!" Henry called out, catching her lost in her thoughts.

"Yes dear?"

"Are you going to join us or just stand there?"

"I'm coming dear, just taking in the scene of my wonderful family. I'm just so proud of who you've all become." She answered him as she placed a kiss on each of her childrens heads.

Gifts were handed out and thank you's were said. Elizabeth had stood up to grab the last remaining present that was hidden under the tree. Handing it to Henry to do the honors, she sat back down and he joined her after giving his mom and dad their last gift.

"Here mom and dad, this is just a little something extra from Elizabeth and I." Henry said as he handed his parents their gift.

Elizabeth caught Maureen leaning over whispering something to her husband, but it was loud enough she heard the jist of it. "I bet its some trip or something from Queen Elizabeth" Maureen saying the "Queen Elizabeth" part loud of enough to ensure that Elizabeth heard her.

She shook it off as best as she could wrapping her fingers around Henrys, as he was oblivious to what was going on. Henry was focused on his parents as they had started to unwrap the gift.

Jane's face lit up like the Christmas tree as she took in what was inside the frame. Patrick had a confused look on his face for a moment, then as Jane pointed to the tiny spot on the picture it dawned on him, a slight smile appeared on his lips...

 **A/N: What do you think Patricks response is going to be? Maureen?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey all! Thanks for the wonderful reviews! As always thanks to Adi for her help when i get stuck! :)**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter, you know how to get me writing: leave reviews and comments please!**

"Henry! Elizabeth! Congratulations! We would be lying if we said we haven't been waiting for this moment to come!" Jane said as she got up and took both Elizabeth and Henry into a hug, happy tears sliding down her face.

Patrick followed her lead by congratulating them as well. Surprising everyone he had taken Elizabeth into a hug and shook Henrys hand while patting him on the back, the closest things to a hug he had given his son in quite a few years. "Despite all of our differences, I am very happy you two are starting your own family." He said as his voice wavered, hinting that he was getting choked up with emotion.

It had taken a few minutes for the news to sink into the rest of the family. Once they all had the chance to look at the picture, hugs and congratulations were doled out from Henry's siblings.

"I'm so excited for you two! I cannot wait to see if I'll have a niece to dress up or a nephew to play sports with!" Erin exclaimed as she hugged Elizabeth.

Shane offered hugs and congratulations as well. Maureen had reluctantly hugged Elizabeth, putting on a good show for her parents and Henry. Now not only was her brother married to "the Queen" but now they were going to have a little prince or princess to flaunt around. Maybe it was jealousy that Henry was starting his family before her, but she would try to be there for her brother and sister in law, until it was her turn to start a family.

Once the hugs and excitement had died down they continued with the Christmas morning traditions of handing out gifts and stockings. Happy banter could be heard through the house as they continued to enjoy family time with one another.

Elizabeth had excused herself from the rest of the family and went to the bedroom to rest a bit. All of the warmth and love that was surrounding them from Henry's family was making her miss her parents more as the day went on. She needed some space to break down and cry, some space to herself.

The McCords continued the happy chatter and banter in the living room after Elizabeth had excused herself. Henry watched her go, getting the hint she needed some time alone. He figured this was getting to be to much for her, she had always been prone to withdrawing to herself a little around the holidays, something he had learned she needed to do to grieve her parents and all the years they have missed.

"Son, I'm very happy for you two to start a family, but how are you two going to handle school, jobs and possible deployment with a new baby?" Patrick asked, truly concerned.

"Thanks, dad. We have everything planned out so that hopefully Elizabeth will be done with school by the time the baby comes. I may possibly have a deployment coming up, but we are hoping things settle down and we aren't called up. Then all we will have to worry about is my classes, but at this point I really am not worried."

"Maybe once the baby comes I will visit and help you and Elizabeth out with housework and whatever else needs done." His mother said. "Plus you know, I've gotta get some love from that new grand baby when it arrives." winking at him with a smile on her face.

Leaning over to Tom, Maureen whispered loud enough for them all to hear, "I bet she's going to hire a nanny to take care of things for her. Queens usually don't lift a finger or take care of their own children."

"Maureen! That was quite uncalled for, you should consider yourself lucky that Elizabeth wasn't down here to hear what you said." Jane hastily reprimanded her eldest daughter. Unknown to Maureen, Jane had in fact already talked things over with Elizabeth about when the time came that she and Henry did start a family, she would be there for them. Knowing how hard it is being a new parent, needing the support and advice from family, with her parents not around she wanted to make sure that Elizabeth knew she could count on her.

"Well, its probably true! I mean with all the money she has, why wouldn't they hire a nanny?" bitterness dripping from Maureen's tongue.

Henry was beyond annoyed with his sister at this point, wanting to shut her down before his wife heard what was being said about her he sharply interjected; "How many times do I need to remind you of the fact that the money is because her parents died, and they had always saved to make sure their children would be taken care of if anything had happened? Seriously Maureen! Elizabeth has never done anything rude or nasty to you for you to continue to treat her this way!" With that Henry started up the stairs to check on Elizabeth hoping that she indeed, didn't hear any of the conversation that had just taken place.

"Henry, you're right. I'm sorry. I will try harder to be nicer to her." Maureen called after her brother, actual sincerity in her tone.

Henry walked into his bedroom to find Elizabeth curled up on the bed, asleep with traces of tears dried on her cheeks. He laid down and snuggled into her, giving her the love and comfort he knew she would be needing.

The day after Christmas was spent with more visiting and raucous banter between the McCord siblings, nothing mean, just lots of memories being recalled from past Christmases. Elizabeth sat curled up on the couch just taking it all in, she enjoyed being among the loud laughter and chatter. It was such a vast difference from the lonely silence she had been used to after her parents had passed away. Every Christmas it seemed it got louder in the McCord home and she couldn't wait for next year when their own little human would join in on the noise as well.

Henry noticed the look on Elizabeths face and leaned over placing a kiss on her cheek. "You okay babe?"

"Yeah, this is wonderful, just thinking about how next year we will have another to add to the wonderful chaos." She replied smiling at him, leaning in to return his kiss.

"Elizabeth, how have you been feeling?" Maureen asked, truly interested in how her sister in law was feeling.

"I'm starting to feel better now, but at the beginning i was so sick and exhausted all the time. I felt bad for Henry because it seemed like all i did was work and sleep. Thank you for asking." Smiling back at Maureen.

"I'm glad to hear you're feeling better. I know how ill you were at Thanksgiving and we all thought you really did have the flu."

"Thank you." She hesitated a minute before posing a question, "Have you and Tom thought about kids yet?" Truly wanting to know if her growing baby would be close in age to any future cousins.

A look crossed Maureen's face, and a hesitation before she answered, "Yeah, we are slowly working on it. We just want to make sure we are as ready as we can be before we take the plunge." A hint of a sad smile on her face.

Elizabeth had made note of her facial expressions and had wanted to talk to her in private, wanting to make it known that she was there for them if they needed anything.

"Henry, how long are you guys staying in town?" Erin asked, breaking up the weirdness that had settled in the room.

"I think we are going to get up in the morning and head to Virginia. We are going to spend a few days at the farm. Will is to be coming in as well, so hopefully he does."

"That sounds nice and relaxing! I'm bummed that you guys are leaving so soon though, I love spending time with the both of you. I wish you were closer." Erin informed her brother and sister in law. She was the youngest of the four and got along wonderfully with Elizabeth. In fact she looked up to her sister in law more than anyone in her family knew.

"Erin, you know you're welcome to visit anytime you are able! All of you are. We enjoy hanging out with you too, you should come to the farm during break sometime. Just let us know so we can have groceries for everyone." Elizabeth replied.

"Hey, maybe we could do Easter at the farm?" Henry suggested. "I know Spring/Easter break isn't as long as winter break but it would make for a nice long weekend"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea! Plus there is more room at the farm for everyone, and we wouldn't all be cramped in such a tiny living room and kitchen." Elizabeth agreed with Henry, though she was waiting for a snide remark from someone about the size of the house. Luckily it hadn't come and everyone agreed that for Easter they would head to Virginia to spend some time at the farm.


End file.
